The Lessons of Summer
by starazure
Summary: Two years have passed since Kenshin saw Soujiro again. Now the youth has returned to him in order to start anew in life. Gaunt and awkward, Kenshin takes pity on the younger boy, and decides to help him to become a better man for the future. He is unprepared, though, for the difficulties that lies ahead. Yaoi, hard lemon, non-canon, M-plus.


_Author's note: Hey y'all, sorry for being a day late on this. This is just like a little preview before I go back to work on my other story, "The Outsider", for the rest of the summer. So, I won't update this until the Outsider fic is done, but I figured it'd be nice to take a break from badass teenage Kenshin and creepy ass richie rich Soujiro for one week, LOL! Tell me what you think and if I should continue this. Or not. Up to you! :D_

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Scene 0: Prologue

"So I see the snow has fallen."

The snow really has, of course, fallen. It was a suspiciously dry winter before hand, so to see the whites covering the lands, feels like a blessing. I come out from the shed to step along side with my sensei, nodding. I don't reply. My eyes are too preoccupied with looking at this new world before me. I have been far from my home for a little while now, to clear my head after my previous battles in Mount Hiei. Actually, I wasn't telling the truth when I stated a little while has passed; it's been several months, in fact, that I told Kaoru that I needed some space, and to live with Hiko. She didn't understood why I had to do this. I don't think I understand my own actions sometimes, too. I'm just relieved that she let me do what I needed to do.

I let my eyes fall on one particular tree. This tree that appears to be just like all the rest, only it is not so. I don't understand why my mind have decided that this tree is different from the other ones, but I let my mind cave in to just stare at that one for a while. The branches are reaching up towards the sky as if praying for redemption, and it could no longer withstand the weight of the snow on what's left of it's leaves. I blink a few times, unmoving. I think I understand a little now. Do I continue to carry on my burdens even if this separates me from the people I surround myself with? To let them live a life worth living? Even if it means I cannot be happy, or thrive with what I must carry? I blink once and that tree finally lets one of its branches limp to let a mound of snow fall to the ground soundlessly.

I finally answer with my eyes slipped close, "So it would appear."

Hiko and I are quiet for a while, the whiteness of the world clouding our thoughts with nonsense. He finally clears his throat, "So then, you will leave."

"Just until all of this melts. Then, I can visit you again." I beam, letting my body one shiver from the crisp air and the excitement of coming back home to see my friends in Tokyo.

He smirks, "I won't stop you, then. Just give your friends my blessings. You've all been through a lot."

I don't answer, only looking at him while he looks on ahead expectantly at the world. Not even his most rage inducing glare could melt all of this away. Funny, I used to be so afraid of him when I was a very little boy. Now a man, he is only just but another person to me. Staying with Hiko, he'd help with all that plagued me; nightmares of Shishio's most untimely death. Questions about whether I could've done something, anything, to save his life. What symbolic meaning of that battle truly means in the end. Though Hiko has helped some, I'm afraid the final answer isn't so simple for it to come in just a few months staying indoors and through hours of having herbal induced psychosis. He chided me one day that this will come when I least expect it, and to trust what will come my way.

What will come my way..

It better be worth the wait.

"I'll write." I smile gently at Hiko's general direction about twenty minutes later, after I packed my belongings from his shed.

He looks at the ground before him, pondering for a moment and then comes back with: "As will I."

I turn around and start walking to travel back home. It will be a while. Hiko lives considerate miles away from Kaoru's family dojo. And it is very cold right now. I'd have to stay at some inns and eat sparingly. I know how to do these things without much struggle, thankfully. Hiko raised me to never expect more than what is necessary. To only be grateful for just enough, and no more than that. He'd train me even when my stomach would protest for more food as a young child, and I would ignore it as such. I'd soon no longer hear it speak anymore. I learned to coast through life with only needing enough and that is all. I've became a strong person because of that. I patiently traveled and stayed at cheap places and ate just enough of what my budget would allow, until I finally make it back to the familiar village in Tokyo.

I am happy that Hiko has loaned me a spare cover up of suede and animal fur that had helped him stayed warm many years prior. He also gave me shoes fit for trekking through the snow.

I walk up towards the large dojo and almost as if my presence has never been forgotten, the doors open to introduce another old friend of mine; Sanosuke Sagara. He leans coolly against the dojo's column, crossing his arms over his chest. He seems content.

"Well now, look what the cat dragged in!" He laughs, and I make it up to where he stands to give my bow, "We sure missed you."

"I missed you all as well, that I did. How's Kaoru?"

"She's alright. Pretty sore the entire time you were gone, but.. I think we did a good job distracting her while you were down there with Hiko. Sometimes men need to have their spaces, and it's a first for her. She's going to flip once she sees you again, though."

I smile shyly, "I'd rather she not."

"Aw, you're still the same hard-to-get guy we all know and love." He slugs his arm around my neck and shoulders, "I'll help you with your things."

And so, we make it inside. He was right. Kaoru did, in fact, flipped when she saw me walking into the eating area where she was having her afternoon tea. Yahiko hadn't changed much since I last saw him, which comforts me. I don't want him to grow up just yet. I want to enjoy his youthful mirth for just a while longer. The same can be said for Ayame and Suzumi, who cling to my legs and wail over how much they missed me. Dr Gensai, always so wise and sage, gives me a cup of hot tea to welcome me home. Megumi couldn't stop crying about how happy she is now that I am home. Not much has changed here and that's how I like it. Kaoru tells me that she will reopen her classes soon, though she is prepared for the scarcity of the new student body when everyone just wants to stay huddled home instead of training. I tell her that I will help her however way I can, and she smiles gratefully at that response.

I don't tell them about the snow. I don't tell them about the trees. I don't tell them about the dreams I've had when I was staying at Hiko's.

There is no need.

Days peel by. Weeks fly by. Months melted away, as did the snow. Before I know it, we have to welcome the new decade once new year's eve introduces 1880. Much has happened since the bloody days of Makoto Shishio's ultimate plans to take over Japan. My nightmares slowly eases in their frequency, but I've been known to wake up from time to time in the middle of the night, heaving and with alert eyes. I just try to take each day as it comes to me. It's the middle of the month of May when I am doing the laundry outside. It's the perfect day to do so.. warm and sunny enough to dry the clothes, with just enough gentle winds to speed up the process. Ayame and Suzumi are playing nearby as Dr Gensai fans himself under the shade, watching and chuckling at their antics. Sanosuke and Yahiko had gone out to get dinner for us tonight. I'm not exactly sure where Miss Kaoru or Miss Megumi went, but I wouldn't be surprised if they went out shopping together. With the new success of both of their respective professions, I'd say they deserve to get something nice. I flap the water off of a white towel, proud of myself.

And then, I felt it.

Someone has arrived to the dojo. And it is not one of my friends. I look towards the sliding doors, nearly convinced that they will fly open to welcome my opponent. This energy feels a little familiar, but I can't exactly be sure as to whom it might be. Have I fought with this person before? It sure feels like it. Gensai perks up over my new disposition and asks, "Hmm? What is it, Kenshin? Are they home?"

"_Someone_ is home." My eyes tighten suspiciously, not looking at him or explaining as to whom it might be. The young girls are thankfully too busy with something to notice the atmosphere.

"Mm," Gensai nods, carefully getting up from his seat, "I'll take the girls, you go check to see who it is."

I don't respond and let him get to it. Once they are somewhere safe inside the dojo, I walk out from the front of the dojo, looking up ahead to see someone standing near the open gates. Between the two of us exists a pebbled pathway. In reality, it's more like an entire universe or different time zones. I stand, erect with readiness to fight if so be it. My thumb flicks my sword from its sheath, eyeing my opponent just over a feet away from me. He walks closer, slowly and carefully, and my mind immediately recognizes him. Standing with the poise of a graceful feline, with a smile to match on his face, he looks on at me when he reaches close to the porch. The morning sun tickles his hair with honey highlights throughout his dark brown hair, and those electric blue eyes.. I blink, still not moving from my battle position just in case.

"Mr Himura," He begins talking, with a surprising gentleness that was missing from when I battled with him in Mount Hiei, "It's me. Soujiro Seta."

I take my time inspecting him before I place my sword all the way back inside it's protective sheath. I can see he brought his own sword along with him, but it does not appear that he is interested in having a battle. I walk down the small set of steps and he gives a friendly bow, "Soujiro?"

He doesn't say anything at first, taking his time to come back up from his bow and looking up at me with those eyes, "I'm.. I'm sorry. I've been meaning to get in touch with you since I left Shishio behind. I've been told that people write to each other when they haven't seen each other in a long while. I guess I should have asked around for your home address. I'm so sorry."

I gape, not knowing how to respond to that.

He tilts his head to the side, "I'm sorry, was that strange of me to say?"

I can only give a wry smile in return, "No. It's fine."

Then he surprises me with something else; he takes a step towards me and lays his hands on my shoulders, ever so gently, and I grunt, confused. His polite smile doesn't budge from his face as he looks at me. He looks like a rich visitor from another place is looking at a fine piece of merchandise to perhaps purchase and bring back to their home country. What is he doing? I don't dare move a single muscle as he stands there, looking at me.

"You haven't changed. Fascinating." He finally speaks, smiling with his eyes, "Have I changed?"

"You've.. grown."

He blinks at me, bewildered, and then he laughs, "Oh, thank you!"

He finally steps away from me, his hands leaving from my shoulders. The warmth leaves along with his fingers, also. His fingers are still as long and delicate as I remembered them. I don't know what to say. I watch him as he takes a gander around, looking at the dojo's exterior with wide and curious eyes. He walks up the small set of stairs up to the front porch, looking at the door and then at me, smiling expectantly. I guess he wants to come inside, then? I walk up the stairs and open the front door for him to enter inside, the scent of his hair reminds me of something fresh. Like.. soap. And water. Maybe laundry? Laundry.. oh, right, of course! That's what I was doing before. Soujiro is now inside the living room and I clear my throat, "I was in the middle of doing laundry, but I'll make you a kettle of tea if you'd like. Is there something you like?"

"Oolong is fine."

"We don't have that."

"Oh." He blinks once, his strange smile not faltering despite my answer, "Then, what do you have?"

I look at his eyes. I've never seen anything bluer in my life.

"I think we have something black if that's fine with you."

He nods, "Okay."

I boil the pot with water as I head back outside to finish up with my chores. I don't feel Gensai's or the girls' presences in the dojo anymore. Did they leave to go out somewhere? Perhaps that would be better than them being here. There is no telling if Soujiro really had changed or not. It hasn't been that long since I last saw him.. I place up the last piece of wet garment on the clothing hanger line, looking up at the clear blue skies. I mean, to be honest, it has been a couple of years since I fought with him. A couple of years isn't that long ago, though it may feel that way to him. I'm quite a bit older than him, so my sense of timing isn't like Soujiro's sense of timing. I wonder what it's like to be eighteen years old again. I turn around to head back inside in time to hear the kettle whistling.

"Where is everyone?" Soujiro asks as I pour the hot water into his cup and over the tea ball to seep the interior crushed leaves inside.

"Out." I reply, "I think they'll be back soon, that they will."

"How have they been?"

"What do you mean?"

He jumps, "Oh, um. I mean, as in, umm.. how have they changed since.. since-"

"-Since Shishio perished?" I finish the question for him, smiling. He blushes again, looking down at his hands. It's an endearing look, I'll be honest.

".. Yeah."

I chuckle, fixing the tea balls out of the way so that we can now have our drinks properly, "They are fine, that they are. They haven't really changed much, if that's what you're wondering. I think I like that they haven't. I like that nothing really falls out of the ordinary."

Soujiro watches me as I take my first sip, ".. You don't like it when people change?"

I set my cup down, ".. I like when people only change when they must. But if there is no need, then there is no need."

Soujiro is quiet, thinking.

"That's a silly way of putting it, Mr Himura."

I look at him, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean," He looks at his tea cup, contemplating, "Change is the only stable thing in the world, is it not?"

"Yes. But only if it's warranted."

Are we having some kind of disagreement?

"Then you must be happy with your life as it is now, huh?" Soujiro takes another sip.

"Indeed."

Maybe not.

We finish our tea, and that's when Gensai and the girls returned from their outside venturing. They brought home some food and sake. Upon seeing Soujiro sitting near me, the girls froze and suddenly look shy, hiding behind Gensai's legs. He laughs good naturedly at their newly found dispositions, "Now now, girls, don't be so shy! We have a visitor! It is only natural to be careful around young boys, but I think he is one of Kenshin's friends. Go on, now, say hello."

"Um.. Hello," Ayame cups his chin with her small hand meekly, "My name is Ayame, and this is my sister, Suzumi."

Suzumi doesn't bother with the greetings and just continues to hide her face behind Gensai's knee cap, which made us all chuckle at their poor expense. Everyone except Soujiro, though, who just stares at them blankly. I wonder what in the world could he have inside that head of his. What strange happenings or dangerous close calls he has experienced since I last saw him. I worry that perhaps he should not stay here when we have children this young in the dojo to take care of and to shield from anything too frightening. Still, I do feel sorry for Soujiro. He does seem awkward in expressing his emotions even after quite some time in separating himself from Shishio and his clan. There is still so much for him to get over and so much to learn about the real world. I can only imagine the pain.

Still, there is nothing I can do to help him at this time.

"Won't you stay for dinner, lad?" Dr Gensai propositions him as I clean up the clutter.

"I.. Is that okay with Kenshin?" I hear Soujiro hesitating while I unload the dishes and start cleaning.

"He is fine with it, he is fine!" Gensai laughs and waves his questioning away, "I'm more excited to hear about your tales of being on the road and how you managed to survive. Tell me, have you traveled far yet?"

"Not necessarily.."

"Do you want to?"

Silence. I frown, wondering what is happening. But, I hear Soujiro speak again, and I relax again.

"I feel.. happy here, in Tokyo so far. I think.. I just have to find a room around here and settle in."

"Nothing wrong with that. There are some rooms for rent that I have seen on my morning walks. I can help you look for them if you're still around after today."

More silence. Some shuffling or movement of sort is heard. I think it's Soujiro writhing or adjusting his seating, for some reason.

"Thank you."

I come back from the kitchen, "Soujiro. I am not sure when will my other friends will come back from their outings, but I am wondering if you would like to take a walk with me right now. I'd like to show you around, that I do."

Soujiro just smiles politely and follows me out of the dojo. It felt too crowded there, and.. There is much I'd like to ask Soujiro away from other ears. I had come to wonder from time to time what had happened to the samurai youth. I do think that Soujiro is a little happier now that he has escaped the oppressive environment that Shishio cultivated around him. A lifestyle rife with toxic ideals and theories about the basis of humanity, of killing others in order to stay on the top of the food chain. It was no way to live for anyone, much less a traumatized boy who just wanted to be protected. And loved.

Speaking of love..

"Have you found yourself a partner since the Juppongatana?" I ask while we are both walking through the busy town.

He seems surprised that I asked this, looking at me with blinking eyes, "A partner?"

"Yes. A.." I smile and chuckle awkwardly to myself for the ridiculous term I am about to use, ".. Girlfriend."

He gapes at me, looking at me as if I suddenly grew something weird on my neck. I briefly touch the side of my neck casually, just to make sure.

"A.. girlfriend? What's a girlfriend?"

I look at him, bewildered, "Oh. Ah.. Um. I take it you've never courted anyone before?"

Soujiro giggles, "Shishio wouldn't have allowed it!"

"Oh. I see."

I showed him some of the places that I, along with my other friends, like to frequent to everyday, including market places, restaurants, and the farmers who have the best food for the best prices. Soujiro is silent but keenly observant. I watch him as he looks at everything and everyone, and he reminds me of a baby animal who have just opened their eyes for the first time; learning about the world with a pair of fresh eyes, instead of with eyes that lead a bloody past. It's ridiculous, how young he looks, and yet how violent his life used to be. He has seen things that no boy his age should have seen. But that's the Meiji Era for you. He isn't the first, and sadly won't be the last, to see so much death before the age of manhood.

We went back inside the dojo afterward. As one would predict, all of my other friends have arrived before we did. So imagine everyone's faces when they see me walking in with the boy I had two major battles with just a few years prior. Soujiro Seta, ex-member of Shishio's cult like group, completely serene and cordial in all of his ways. My friends didn't know how to react at first, and didn't know what to say. So, I broke the awkwardness by telling them that Soujiro is looking for a place to stay around here so as to start anew in life, and that he is only quiet because he is still learning the ropes of proper social etiquette. When they heard that, they seemed to have collectively relaxed and started talking to him, asking him questions about what he's done since the days of being out of the Juppongatana. He seems reluctant at first, but little by little, he answered them back in fuller sentences instead of just one word answers.

I do feel sorry for young Soujiro. When Kaoru insisted that he stays with us for dinner, Soujiro agreed, albeit with some caution. I understand, being in his shoes once before. When all you've ever known in your life was pain, death, and violence, the kindness of other people just seems too good to be true. Throughout his stay, I'd keep my eyes on Soujiro to study his gait and movements, what he says and how he looks at things with his own eyes, to get a good feel of him. When the skies reddened to signal evening time, I come to the final conclusion that Soujiro is terribly wounded and is unsure of how to be a normal person. Since I used to be the same way, traveling all throughout Japan for ten years before meeting Miss Kaoru, it just seems plausible that it is the case with him too. The temperature outside dropped to a much colder level, so Kaoru suggests we break out some alcohol to warm ourselves up. Sanosuke whooped out loud, causing Megumi to sneer at him.

We better not let Soujiro and Yahiko anywhere near it, though. For their own good.

While Kaoru and Megumi are gushing about something in a corner and sharing drinks, Sanosuke and I hung out on the other side of the living room to chat amongst ourselves. Sanosuke would chuckle in intervals at the ladies shenanigans, but I would always keep my eyes squarely on one corner of the room, where Yahiko and Soujiro are talking to each other. Yahiko, just twelve years old now, seem to be at the same level as Soujiro is. Which is actually very concerning. At eighteen, one carries themselves in a certain manner. Soujiro seems to shrink into himself whenever someone pays attention to him or asks him a question. When he was with Shishio, he used to be pompous with the confidence of a powerful samurai when he had his friends behind him to cheer him on. Now that the battles of glory are nothing more but a memory, Soujiro seem to have revert to a gawky teenager with nothing to look forward to. It's almost enough to make me embarrassed for him.

"Say, Kenshin," Sanosuke crosses his arms, now looking at the same direction, "You've been staring at that little weirdo the whole night. What's up?"

I turn to him, "Sano. He's not weird. I think he just doesn't know how to conduct himself without having that group to fall back on anymore."

"Hm," Sanosuke continues to drink his beer, "Well.. I do feel bad for him. I wonder how he's ever going to, y'know.. survive out there when he acts like that."

"He still has his sword on him. He's completely armed, but something tells me that it's been a long time since he's killed again. Amazing, considering how dangerous it is to sleep out there. I feel he is very brave in that way, that I do."

"So, now what? Are you going to help him out, or something?"

"Help him?" I laugh uneasily, "What is there to help him out with? He seems to be taking care of himself just fine."

"Yeah, but come on, Kenshin. Just look at the poor kid. I think he's looking a little on the thinner side, so I wonder just how good he is at taking care of himself in under those conditions. Guy has nowhere to go, and doesn't know how to maintain eye contact like he used to. I think the deaths of Makoto Shishio and Yumi did a number on him, y'know? And I'd hate to know that he will perish when he is out there again and forgets how to evade crazy people or somethin'."

I look at Soujiro, who's eyes flicker over towards me in time. I grunt, looking down on the floor, suddenly feeling off balance from experiencing that.

"Do you think.. I mean.. Do you suppose.. That Soujiro would say yes if I proposition him to staying here?" I murmur to myself.

"Hey, I'd ask Kaoru first if I were you before you go on and do that. But.. Yeah, why not? He could be a great help with my share of the chores here."

I snigger at that, but he's right. Maybe there is something I can do to help Soujiro, after all. There are things in life that one must learn if one wants to fit into society, to blend in with the crowds, and to live life without killing. That was all Soujiro had wanted ever since he murdered his family. Shishio was wrong in everything he had tried to put in that young boy's head, but I think there is still some time left to turn Soujiro around. I wouldn't be where I am today, if not for the care and the love bestowed upon me by people like Hiko, Sanosuke, Kaoru, and so on. Who will Soujiro turn to when he has questions that I used to ask myself before? Who will Soujiro learn from when the only template he has was the Juppongatana? How will he know if he is only so young and still has so much to learn?

...

I think I'll do it. I think I can help him somehow. As Yahiko walks away to join Dr Gensai and the girls to go upstairs to wash up before bedtime, Soujiro looks at his hands with a crestfallen expression in his eyes. And just like that, I knew what I have to do.

I have to help Soujiro.


End file.
